Vardhan is BJP’s Manmohan in Delhi, says Arvind Kejriwal

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate for Delhi, is “BJP’s Manmohan Singh in Delhi”, said Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday.

He termed the party’s decision to choose Dr. Vardhan AAP's “victory”. Mr. Kejriwal also highlighted the ‘silence’ of Dr. Vardhan on issues like women's safety, rising electricity bills and poor water supply among others.

“The AAP is of the view that by replacing Vijay Goel with Dr. Vardhan as its candidate for the chief minister post, the BJP has clearly conceded defeat in the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections. Replacing a candidate by the BJP just a little over a month before the elections is as good as conceding defeat. Now, the battle is between the Congress and the AAP,” said Mr. Kejriwal. The AAP leader questioned Dr. Vardhan’s credibility in fighting corruption. “As a legislator too, he has failed to raise any issue in the Delhi Assembly. He wasn’t seen fighting for the common man even when people were on the streets during the Delhi gang-rape protests,” he added.

While comparing Dr. Vardhan with Dr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. Kejriwal said: “Corrupt Congress made Manmohan Singh its face at Centre. But he failed to check corruption within his own government. Similarly, now, corrupt BJP has made Dr. Vardhan its face in Delhi.”

“What did Dr. Vardhan do all these years to check the BJP’s corruption in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi? Isn’t he Delhi BJP’s Manmohan?” he asked.